Connection devices incorporating such connection means are generally used in circuits for transporting fluids, in particular for coupling one hose to another hose, or to a fluid-emitting element such as a pump, or to a fluid-receiving element such as a tank.
A connection device of known type generally comprises a body provided with an internal channel opening out into a chamber for receiving one end of the hose, a sealing O-ring, and means for retaining said end of the hose.
By way of example, the retaining means comprise an elastically deformable washer possessing an inside circumference of diameter smaller than an outside diameter of the hose, and it is subdivided into a plurality of teeth, together with an outer portion which is received in a groove formed in the chamber. While the end of the hose is being inserted, the teeth flex upwards so as to allow the hose to pass through, and under the effect of the elasticity of the material constituting the washer, the free ends of the teeth then press against the outer surface of the hose so as to bite into it when a traction force is exerted on the hose.
The connection device generally comprises disconnection means in the form of a pusher slidably received in the chamber, the pusher having one end shaped to be interposed between the teeth and the hose so as to spread the teeth away from the hose, and an opposite end constituting a handle which projects outside the chamber. In the event that parts in the surroundings of the coupling device push against the pusher during relative displacement between said parts and the device, or in the event of the hose bending, there is a risk that said parts or that the bending of the hose might cause the pusher to be pushed in, thereby accidentally disconnecting the end of the hose.
In addition, when a hose connected to such a connection device is subjected to a force that causes the end of the hose to bend in the vicinity of the connection device, the bending tends to cause the end of the hose to become transformed transversely, and more precisely for it to become ovalized. Such ovalization degrades the quality of contact between the outside surface of the end of the hose and the inside surface of the sealing ring, which runs the risk of giving rise to leaks. Major deformation also runs the risk of causing the hose to kink in the vicinity of the coupling since it is more rigid than the hose.